Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

My serial number is too high so my Honda blower is not affected but has anyone taken their Honda blower for the recall repair?  On a side note, My 2005 Honda Odyssey had a brake failure recall and took me two tries to get it right this week.  I hope you guys have much better recall repair experience.  Are there any other recalls on Honda blower?

I have to check my serial number to see if it's affected by the recall. I've had it for 2 years now and it has not leaked. 

The recall flyer had a pretty picture of HS1132.  Fire would be a bad news.  One guy selling his HS1132 via eBay said that he had a leaky tank that required repair.  Sounds like it was a recall issue but the seller said he paid for the new tank and fuel line prior to eBay transaction. 

NewYorer: It would be bad if something bad happends to your blower (your pride and joy)!  Hopefully all is good.

MN_Runner wrote:

Honda will back up their product it's in their best interest, but they won't tell you about it you'll have to ask. They won't put the stall kit on the carb unles you specifically have a problem. THAT ticked me off. If there is a problem why only fix units that have it? Why wait until it breaks?!  Crazy!

Steve_Cebu wrote:
Yeah. I remember being ticked off by that issue too.  Tried to get my dealer to have the carb kit installed.  He said that he has to jump through hoops to get reimbursed.  Around here, the snow isn't that much so the carb icing is pretty rare, so he says.  I haven't had problems with it so I didn't press the issue any further.

aa335 wrote:

My Honda dealer installed the kit for me as part of a prepurchase agreement. So mine had it. Still no excuse for not fixing something so trivial on such an expensive machine. That's like buying a BMW and having the dealer not want to fix a known rattle in the glovebox.

Steve_Cebu wrote:
Hindsight is always 20/20 .  I should have negotiated that into the deal at the time.  I could not expect too much good faith practices in today's time.

Personally, I'd rather do the fix myself.  Just tell me what the problem is and give me the parts.  That way, I know it will be done right.

borat wrote:

Hey Borat, Glad to see somebody thinks like me. If I can get the parts and do it at home on my own turf I wouldn't think twice.

AA335,

How do you know if your blower has a carb-icing fix or not?  Thanks for the helpful information.

My HS928TA falls into this category (unfortunately). I just called my local Honda dealer and was told that all costs are covered, including pick up and return delivery costs. The bad part is that after this last blizzard they can't pick it up for a week and the repair time is estimated at between 1 - 2 weeks - YIKES!!! I think I'll have to keep an eye on the forecast before I decide to move forward with the repair now or wait a little bit.

MN_Runner wrote:
It does not have the carb anti-ce kit.  It's basically a plastic shroud.  My dealer says that most people do not need it unless they constantly tunnel into deep snow and it get sucks into the carb.  He said Honda will only let dealer install it on a case by case basis.  It's not a campaign or recall.

" He said Honda will only let dealer install it on a case by case basis.  It's not a campaign or recall."

Sooooo, let's see....

Can't get the machine picked up for a week.  Repair time will be between 1 to 2 weeks (probably longer). 

That's at least three weeks with no fix and up to two weeks without a snow blower.  I'd be ripping some serious a$$ if they refused to give me what I need to fix it. 

borat wrote:

That is why I negotiated it in the pre-purchase agreement. It's Hells Bells to get them to do it afterwards. Honda snowblowers are not like Honda cars. The car dealer takes care of everything just great. That's why I own 2 Honda cars but not so keen on paying $$$$ for a snowblower that they make right before they build it. You'd think the plastic cover an O-ring were a big deal. For over $3k they should just do it without whining. It's not like there isn't a TON of profit in it for them. I don't think the Honda costs twice as much to make as a Toro or Ariens.

If Honda were to apply their snow blower pricing policy to their cars, can you imagine paying 50K to 60K for an Accord?  

They'd be out of the auto business with pricing like that.

m  borat wrote:
No, I can't.  But I can imagine paying that much for a BMW. :)        

I'm still trying to figure out how a $40,000 Chevy Volt is better than a $25000 car.                        

aa335 wrote:
Not this guy. 

I don't really care about slick sophistication nor prestige.   I want stone axe reliability and reasonable fuel economy.   That's why I drive a 1996 Toyota 100 SR5 4WD that I bought new and have  owned for almost 15 years.  Without a doubt, the best vehicle I've ever owned.  It's got thousands of miles being pounded down  rough gravel roads and it still doesn't squeak or rattle. 

I have not spent one dime on repairs.  The only maintenance has been new tires, batteries, windshield wipers and air filters along with regular lubrication.  No rust and never a problem.

Sorry for going off topic here.

borat wrote:

Glad you mentioned it.  I have long wondered about a term you used to describe your Toyota, " SR-5 "  I see it on all kinds of Toyota Vehicles of many different stripe.  Have you any idea what it stands for, and why its on so many different Toyota models ? I even asked my dealer, and he hasn't an answer.  My 2010 Prius doesn't have the SR-5 emblem.

Incidentally, an AMSOIL brand (www.amsoil,com) POD air filter can be used on the 928 carb intake, it is a highly moisture/water restistant oiled Foam air filter that vibrates as the engine operates to shake off anything that tries to cling to it.  It might do the trick for anyone wanting a solution to water injestion.  I will use whenever I start the machine off season or whenever dust is possible in the air. My Honda HS 928 TAS has no such problem as water injestion, but it does illustrate the problem with having no air filter on a snowblower engine.

New_Yorker,

Is your snowblower affected by the recall?  What year is your blower?

SR-5  stand for  a certain mechanical and trim level.

 I'm not positive but the "S" is for Sport and the R is for engine type.  I suspect that the 5 stands for the extra five grand I had to spend to get the SR-5 decal on the tailgate. 

That doesn't sound like the practical Borat we know.

MN_Runner wrote:
It was the only Toyota T-100 around in a 700 mile radius from where I live.  As it was, I had to fly to where it was (I was on a business trip at the time) and drive the 450 miles home.   I needed a truck and I wanted a Toyota.  Didn't have any choice.  Looking back, it's the best auto investment I've ever made. 

borat wrote:
I do care about sophistication and company philosophy.  I rather drive a car that offers excitement rather than utility like an appliance with wheels.  My car has been reliable, embarassed a couple of C5 and GT's who thinks a 4 doors car is slow.  :)

Yeah, that might be important to you when riding around the streets of Chicago.  It's a bit different than being 100 or more miles down a dirt road in the middle of the Canadian wilderness.  Style and sophistication mean very little when it's parked on the side of the road with problems and the next vehicle might very well be days away.  Not too much cell phone coverage out there either.  

Know what I mean?

I wonder if Honda changed suppliers on a part?  It seems odd that a model that really hasn't changed for some time would have an issue like this.  It's not like it's a new model year vehicle.

When did Honda first come out with their tracked snow blower line?  Or the current generation anyway?

borat wrote:
Oh yeah, if I'm out in the sticks, it will be with a pick up truck, domestic preferred just to keep the natives friendly.

MN_Runner wrote:
MY New HONDA snowblower is model HS 928 TAS and is a 2010 model.   Recall ? ?  Not for me !   Recalls are just in case anyway, I've had many recalls on my American Made cars over the years, never had a problem.  My Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland had TWO seat heater recalls one for the OEM seats, athe second one for the Fix, never had a problem with either before or since.  Even the best quality vaehicles have occasional recall notices and service advisories, it just shows the customer that someone's paying attention is all.

borat wrote:

Too bad you can't get the Toyota Hi-Lux 4x4 up there. I had a Hi-Lux when I moved overseas (not the 4x4) and it was an awesome truck! 1000 times better than a Tacoma!

I did have a 4x4 over there and it also was a Toyota diesel but circa 1984! Great truck here are some pics also included is a pic of one mean frankenstein of a truck, no heat in any of these trucks tho since it rarely drops below 80 degrees even at night. The event was in Argao in the Philippines. My poor mostly stock truck didn't finish but it was great fun. These are the sort of trucks you want when living in the boonies.

Sorry for the off topic pics.

New_Yorker,

I thought you got your HS928TA from your friend this year, where he bought it a few years ago.  2010 HS928 (even HS724) models have holes drilled for the sides skids and they come mounted with the snowblower from the factory.  My seral number is SZAS-118XXXX.  Just curious, what are your first three numbers after "SZAS"?

MN_Runner wrote:

That was FrankMA

AA335,

You are correct.  My 2010 model came with the side skids mounted from the factory.  Just curious why New_Yorker's 2010 did not have them on from the factory?  Is it the difference between TA/TAS vs. WA/WAS?

MN_Runner wrote:
Mine did not come with the side skids.  I had to purchase that separately.  Not sure why some would come with them and some don't.

AA335,

I think that is one of the differences between Track vs. Wheel models.  When I look at the manual, the side skids are not intended for the track models  rather are intended for the wheel drive blowers.  Having them might be a bad idea as it may interfere as you move the machine up and down.  I cannot move my snowblower with a foot pedal (I don't have this feature) like the way you can with your track models.  If Honda thought it was better to have the side skids for the track models, I am convinced that they would have mounted them from the factory.   For your track model you have the foot pedal to control how much you want to dig into the ground and having the side skids reduces your control of the height and makes the foot control less effective.

MN_Runner wrote:

The Hondas that I have been looking at this week, all track models, had both skids, side, and behind the scrapper blade.

I was curious why both?

The Yamaha only had the curved skids behind the scrapper. The dealer mentioned that even though you can set the hieght with the Auger Tilt, you still need a stopping point, so you don't push your scrapper into the concrete!

The tilt does allow you to put a lot of weight downward, and I can see the need for skids.

Here is the Honda, showing side skids, can not see the back ones, but they are there,

http://english.honda.ca/HPower/Models/ModelOverview?L=E&Type=SnowBlowers&Series=HS928&Model=HS928TCD

Here is the Yamaha, you can see the rear skids,

http://www.yamaha-motor.ca/display.php?idx=16019&model=3537&group=G&

rubinew wrote:
I never realized just how anemic the US version of the HS928TCD was until I checked out the Canadian Honda brochure link you posted. I'd love to have the electric joy stick chute control that's available to our brothers up north. The US population is roughly 10X that of Canada - you'd think that corpoate Honda would wake up and realize that the US market would likely outsell the Canadian market if these were offered in the states. Sorry for the rant but it's very frustrating to see such nice upgrades that unfortunately are not available to the US market.

FrankMA wrote:
Just order one from Canada and have it sent to a pick-up point on the Canadian side.  Get the machine and clear U.S. customs. 

Be prepared to bleed money.   With our currencies close to par, you'll feel the pain that we live with, day in, day out.

borat wrote:
I hear you.  As much as I want those Canadian models, those prices are hard to justify. 

Not sure why Honda in US have not realized that there's a potential market for those models here in the states.  Now that the Simplicity and Deere models comes with electric chute controls, I'm sure Honda is losing sales.  Only tracks and hydrostatic transmission are the reasons one would chose Honda over the Simplicity and Deere.

Personally, I think Honda are resting on their laurels.  They will sell under-appointed machines in the U.S. no matter what.  Don't forget, not everyone who buys a snow thrower is a keener.   I'd bet that 99% of Honda's U.S. customers don't even know that there's a difference between Canadian and U.S. models. 

Never mind Honda.  Think blue.  The new champ on the block!!
 

borat wrote:
Yeah.  I hope big blue is available to buy in the stateside too.  Honda could really use some competition and give us products worthy of it's former name and price.  Not that they really have to do anything much, but start with making the HS928TCD available in the US.  Next, work on the next generation of HS621.  Then revamp the HS1132TAS with dual electric motors to drive the tracks.  Just use trickled down technology from the high end hybrid model.

aa335 wrote:

Ditto - Ditto - Ditto! Who or what is in charge at the Honda USA sales department??? If you're listening or reading - bring the good stuff to the folks south of the Canadian border. Your bottom line will appreciate it as will your stock holders!

Yamaha - your friends in the good old US of A are awaiting your entry into a very profitable and eager marketplace. As Bob Barker would say -COME ON DOWN!!!

It's funny how Honda of America thinks its perfectly acceptable to give us decaffeinated products when the rest of the world has more exciting stuff available.  Years ago when I had a Honda Accord V6, the Japan market has a more nimble and smaller Accord that comes with a turbo 4 cylinder that produces 240 hp, while the US V6 model gets an anemic 200 hp.  To add insult to injury, the V6 car was big and floaty, seats as flat and wide as a park bench.  After a few years of driving it, I had enough.  If I want something as boring as that car, I'd get a Buick or a Toyota.

My wife has an '07 Toyota Camry.  We never get bored of it never failing to get us where we have to be. 

We have motorcycles for excitement. 

Jump on 100 h.p. and 100 ft. lbs. torque both measured at the rear wheel on a 650 lb., six cylinder Honda Valkyrie.   Grab a handful of throttle if you dare, and see what happens.  You'll be smoking that huge rear wheel, the engine will be howling like an Indy car and in a few short seconds 100 mph will be on the clock,   And that's with a passenger!   Talk about an adrenalin rush.   

borat wrote:
If I had a Camry of any year, I'd take up bungee jumping just to balance out the boredom.  :)  If Buick can build a reliable car, it will be the Camry.  Or is it if Toyota could build a boring car, it will be a Buick. 

aa335 wrote:

Make sure that guy in the Camry picks you up when your not-boring car breaks down on the side of the road.

Chxbeachva wrote:
Nah, I'd probably go into a coma riding a Camry.  I'd wait for the Ford.  :)

I rather go up in flames from an exploding gas tank than going off a cliff with a stuck accelerator pedal.  :)

aa335 wrote:

I had to bust your $#%*...I work for Toyota.

Chxbeachva wrote:
I don't work for Toyota, but if I did, I would spike their coffee with a little something....and fire a few people.  Or at least offer placement service for a paper clip company.

I'd also bring back the Toyota Supra and Hi-Lux.  These represent the company much better than a Celica or Tacoma.  :)

Now that the new VW Jetta looks and drives like Corolla, there's no need for it.  I'd scrap that model and bring back the Paseo.  It's okay to have cheap plastic when the car is only $10000, but for $20000?

I'd restyle the Matrix so it doesn't look so fast going slow.   I'd restyle the Solara so it looks less like a jelly bean.

Speaking of going fast, why does Toyota has 4 models in the most ticketed car list?  And I don't know why so far 3 Prius have tried to race me.  It's not like my gas tank is empty and I'm trying to hypermile. 

aa335 wrote:


I thought I was imagining things... I've had the same thing happen to me in my '07 G35x 

I don't find cages exciting.  

Rolling status symbols that are one-upped by the neighbour  down the street with a few more bucks than the other guy.  

I see that happening on my street.  Guy across the street from me  buys a new Corvette.   Guy two doors up from me buys a brand new top of the line Camaro.   Woman across the street from the Camaro and beside the Corvette buys a Mercedes AMG C63 that puts both GMs to shame.  Her husband buys a $135,000.00, luxed out Land Rover that tops the bunch of them for all out spending......  

It's all about ego.  Nothing more.  I choose not to play that game.  I'm kind of happy to be who I am and don't care in the least what others think.  A nice place to be indeed.  

In many parts of the world, having a vehicle more than 2 wheels or extra vehicle for enjoyment is a status symbol.  Going beyond the basic necessity is self-absorbed and frivolous.  Our overseas neighbors viewed North Americans as that.  Perspective can either blind us, or open your mind.  Stay in your trenches and defend what you believe, or come out of the wall and see they're not so different.

Wisdom is a valuable lesson to be passed on to future generations, but it is not an entitlement for righteousness.  They have every right for their decisions as you have yours.

To each his own. Be happy.

Not sure why Camry gets a really bad rep.  My wife (and my daughter) drives 2007 Camry which has about 90,000 miles.  We have had no issues with our Camry thus far other than tire and oil changes.  The gas mileage is not that great but not too bad compared to my 2005 Honda Odysssey.  It is a fairly safe car as well and silent too.  When the weather is below 0F, it is better to be boring and warm than cold.  I am kind of boring too but easy to maintain.  I have three kids coming of college age so buying an expansive car is not the smartest option.  Perhaps buying a Honda snowblower is about as close to buying an expansive car.  It would have been better if I bought Toro 1028 and put the money toward the kids college fund.  Maybe I am going thru a mid-life crisis by purchasing a Honda.

MN_Runner wrote:

I looked at the Toro.  Everyone says they are great machines.  I never used the machine, but playing with the joystick in the store, it felt very cheaply made.  I could be wrong but, then again I bought the Deere with the electric chute so who am I to complain.

MN_Runner wrote:

I looked at the Toro.  Everyone says they are great machines.  I never used the machine, but playing with the joystick in the store, it felt very cheaply made.  I could be wrong but, then again I bought the Deere with the electric chute so who am I to complain.

MN_Runner wrote:
The Camry isn't a bad car.  It's safe, reliable, and reasonably priced.  It's good transportation that serves well as a automotive appliance.

aa335 wrote:
Thoughtful prose indeed. 

However, one-upmanship and placating one's own ego will never lead to happiness.  True happiness is neither bought nor achieved by outdoing your neighbour. 

I'm looking forward to the next wave of ostentatious spending on the street just to see who buckles first.  

Who's fragile ego will be first to crumble to cause him/her to up the ante? 

Mercedes and Land Rover have laid down a very expensive gauntlet.  

Who knows?  If the escalation gets  out of hand, we might just see the construction on a heli-pad and a Bell 407 landing in one of their yards!       

Exciting times lie ahead!!!!

Chxbeachva wrote:

The joystick is plastic and it will not rust, it's very quick to adjust the chute into any position you want. Try using it in the real world and it won't feel so cheap unless you try to break it.

FrankMA wrote:
That's really too bad.  I know you've been chomping to bits to get some action out of that new to you snowblower.  Good thing is that all expenses are covered. 

Well, the weather folks are calling for snow on Friday (as of this morning) so I think I'll hold off on the repair until my dealer's schedule loosens up a bit. I just can't afford to be without a 2 stage machine at this time of the year. I'll ask him to call me if he has any holes in his schedule to fill that will minimize the amount of time it's out of my hands.

MN_Runner wrote:
My serial number begins 1189 etc.  and I bought it new from the HONDA dealer HS 928TAS model.  The holes in the side of the auger housing are NOT to be used for the HD Skid Shoes, it explains that in the instructions that come with them.  The stock machine came from Honda with skid shoes mounted on the back of the housing.  I imagine the two holes, and spot welded nuts where one would normally mount skid shoes were something that didn't work out too well, hence the changes I have and the unused holes for side mount skid shoes.  Honda just left them there no explanation other than Don't use them to mount the Commercial Skid Shoes accessory.

New_Yorker wrote:

You don't need side shoes on tracked models. There is no way to adjust the bucket into the various modes if you had side shoes. The side shoes are for wheeled models.

People can do whatever they want to do with their snowblowers but US version of TA/TAS should not be getting the side skids and it may affect the leveling of the bucket.  My WA/WAS has no level adjustment so the side skids (commercial grade) came mounted with the blower.  Just look at your 2010 Owner's manual.

all this talk about side skids,

here is the PDF for Honda snowblowers sold in Canada. They are Track versions, and all had side skids,

In fact, the HS928TCD has both side and rear skids, and the wheeled version, HS928WC is shown without side skids?? Interesting, might be a preference thing maybe.

http://english.honda.ca/HPower/_Global/Files/Accessories/SnowBlowers_En.pdf

Now the Yamaha I am waiting for the Dealer to bring in, only has Rear Skids:

Rubinew,

In poking around the Canadian/Honda snowblower site, the primary difference between the US & Canadian lines on the large 2-stage blowers is an automatic height adjustment (instead of the foot pedal on the U.S. model), that Honda calls "Gas-Assisted, Auger-Height-Adjustment System".

And of course, they have the hybrid blower, which Honda Canada hopefully says "Be the envy of your neighbours with hybrid efficiency". Funny.

Anyway, the lineup outside of the Hybrid looks fairly similar.

But if you go to the Japanese Honda site, http://www.honda.co.jp/snow/, they have some pretty spectacular snowblowers there (Hint, if you use Google Chrome, it can autotranslate the site).

The equivalent of the 1132/928 is here: http://www.honda.co.jp/snow/products/hs970_1170.html. There are many fascinating things on this page. For example, they have:

"Honda relief plus compensation system security Compensated for one year from purchase stolen. When stolen, the same model to compensate."

And as a way to stop you from using it to blow leaves ;):

"● any purpose other than snow removal, please do not use."

Finally, they have a page: http://www.honda.co.jp/snow/newtechnology/index.html#linkicon7_2

which lists the technology they're proud of. Again if you translate to english, its a fascinating read.

rubinew wrote:

That Yamaha looks awesome.  I wish they made a wheeled model.  I'd probably capitulate and buy one.

Without a doubt,  that has to be the best consumer grade snow blower on the market.   I'm look forward to your review.

Steve_Cebu wrote:
Honda, who manufactures and sells these machines, and accessory Commercial Skid Shoes does NOT agree with you.  I'm comfortable enough with that. Oh, and the auger housing adjusts just fine into all positions, as anyone would expect.  Where DO you get these ideas ?

MN_Runner wrote:

Not only would it be bad, it would come as a shock to HONDA because they didn't include my new machine in the recall for the possibly-could be, gas seepage recall.  Also I am very familiar with the odor of gasoline, and would notice a gas leak on any machine I own pretty quickly.  Only someone foolish would ignore such an odor on any machine.  So thanks for your concern, but I will not expecting any problems.

Want something Better Than that Chinese import at Walmart ?     Want a machine that is 'Made In America ' ? ?

Although Honda Power Equipment products are produced at 11 Honda manufacturing facilities worldwide, nearly 75 percent of Honda power products sold in America are produced using domestic and globally sourced parts at the Honda Power Equipment Manufacturing, Inc. (HPE) facility in Swepsonville, North Carolina, which opened in August 1984.

Enjoy !

Steve_Cebu wrote:

This is partially true, you don't need side skids for tracked models.  With side skids, you definitely will lose the scraper mode for chipping at ice on pavement, very impressive if you ever use it.  I don't particulary use scraper mode often, seems abusive to the auger.  Hence, I use side shoes for better stability and protection of the bucket.

Side shoes are probably better for wheeled models for stability since the high profile tires low pressure, soft, and bouncy.

Sorry for being off topic.  How did we get here? 

aa335 wrote:

You can put side skid shoes on anything but the tracked model isn't designed to work with them. I got my info directly from the Honda Dealer and they are a HUGE dealer up here and I got it from the guys who work on the units not just the sales guy. Yes you can put them on but you lose the ability to really plow down into the ice which I actually did use on mine and it works pretty well. You can also mount fuzzy dice on the dash controls if you want but it's not going to help any more than the side skid shoes.

If the side skids are so critical and essential components for TA/TAS models then why were these skids not mounted straight from the factory.  I think having Yamaha speakers on left and right sides will be more fun with Wagner's Die Walküre blasting at the maximum volume then moving around the blower with sub-optimal commerical side skid shoes.

Steve_Cebu wrote:
It sounds like we're disagreeing, but essentially, we're saying the same thing, just slightly different way.    Potato, potatoe.

Darn, I just got those fuzzy dice put on and now you tell me . They're coming off tonight, but not the deer whistles, and curb feelers though.

MN_Runner wrote:

Not sure why those side skids aren't mounted from the factory. Perhaps it's an opportunity for dealers to make a few extra bucks. Let us know how those speakers work though. :)

aa335 wrote:

See, this is the strange thing, in Canada, the side skids are mounted from Factory. You can see it on the site, and I have personally seen them at the dealer.

I even commented to my father, "hmmm, it has skids on the back, and on the side, wonder why?" I did not ask the dealer, got distracted by more important things, like Engine, chute, remote controls, etc

If i go back to the Honda dealer, I'll ask them why they put both skids on from factory!

rubinew wrote:

And you missed the 12" subwoofer mounted below the engine? 

aa335 wrote:

hee hee, yeah, and the Yamaha comes with a CD changer under the top cover!

aa335 wrote:

Totally off topic but it seems GoPro is coming out with their LCD BacPac this upcoming year. (Supposedly) It's been vaporware for a long time now.

The reason I mentioned it is because my wife wants one and we will be getting one as soon as the lcd bacpac becomes available. We've seen the pics from the CES of it today and my wife says I can order it the day it's available!

The on topic part is she wants to know what mount we need to mount it on the snowblower!

Now I've gotta figure out where to mount it. But it's a done deal as soon as it's released for sale.

Steve_Cebu wrote:

Looks like CFO is a keeper.  I'm still trying to convince my CFO why she needs a Gopro camera.  :)

Can you mount the camera on the side of the chute, right below the deflector?  Or is that plastic chute too slippery for the adhesive disc? 

I think mount on the side or above the bucket would be good vantage point.  See if you can get shot of the impeller and the Powermax system in action.

aa335 wrote:

My wife watched teh videos on GoPro's site as well as some YouTube stuff and said I want one! Just waiting for the lcd bacpac in Feb and I'll order it. I don't know if the plastic chute is too slippery but whippping the chute around with the joystick would probably give some people vertigo. Also steh chute is going to rattle a lot it's designed so that it doesn't bind up. So I doubt I will mount it on the chute. I could mount it to the bucket any number of ways but if you see the auger you probably won't see the snow being thrown without 2 cameras.

I also would think too much snow would obscure the auger as well. I'll have to try a few different mounting places out. Besides we are still getting a full HD camcorder probably in March from the look of the release dates.

I am considering these. Leaning toward the Canon with it's new 3MOS processors. The sony does shoot in 1080p60p ,but it's proprietary so no editing ability for a while. The Panny is preety darn good and cost is reasonable. Still the GoPro will be a lot of fun to mount on a snowblower. I don't think anyone has done that yet.

Canon Vixia HF G10 - due out in March - $1,499
Sony HDR-CX700V - $1,299
Panasonic HDC-TM900 - $999